The Brotherhood
by MillyBee
Summary: Kedi had always been content with her life as part of the Dark Brotherhood, but when a mysterious Bosmer elf saves her life and speaks of a mission from Sithis himself, she wonders how much more Astrid will take before the Brotherhood is irrevocably changed forever. - No Dovahkiin story arch
1. Prologue

_I've been writing for years, but this is my first attempt at fanfiction - and also my first attempt posting on this website!_

_Please review! It's the only way I'll know if I suck!_

_Hope you enjoy Kedi's story._

_All characters belong to Bethesda, except Kedi and Nock. They're my babies!_

* * *

**Prologue**

She chased the murderer through the frozen night air of Windhelm. One more girl had died while most lay in their beds sleeping. She was the second elf girl to die since the young Breton woman had offered to help the guards catch the killer.

She had heard the screaming, but being inexperienced with healing magic meant she had arrived on the scene too late to save her. The killer was smart, too – leading his pursuer through the winding streets, out the back gate and down to the docks, instead of along the long bridge that sat outside the main gate with so very few places to hide.

Tonight was the night she had finally discovered his identity. With the reassurance that she would do their job for them, the guards had become lax in their patrols, and she had finally gotten the chance to pick the lock on his door. There was something about him that hadn't sat right with her since she spotted him amongst the crowd at the first crime scene, and once she picked the lock on the chest above his bedroom and opened the leather bound journal, his desperate scribbles and maddened scrawls had left no doubt as to his insanity and guilt. The vile journals had been stowed in her pack, and she had left to confront him – too late. The elf's screams had echoed throughout the town as she had shut the door.

As the killer's footsteps slapped against the wet stone of the docks, his pursuer reached the bottom of the steps that had led them there and, seeing the absence of the dock guards, continued her chase. The cold darkness and the fog coming off the sea seemed to swallow up the light that burned from the torches set in the walls, and the woman could only follow the sounds of his footsteps as his clothes blended in with the grey blanket of fog.

She finally started to near him, but he sharply turned and ran down the wooden boardwalk, taking the woman by surprise. The boardwalks were dead ends, he had nowhere to go. She followed him quickly but cautiously, ready for a fight. She had just slipped the dagger from her belt when she heard the splash.

Her golden eyes scanning the surface, she refused to believe the man would be mad enough to jump into the icy water. But sure enough, after a moment, she spotted his head bobbing up and down in the water as he raced for the shore at the other end of the bridge.

He was a strong swimmer, fast. There was a huge chance that he would make it to the shore, and his knowledge in magic meant that he would be able to warm himself and survive the frozen waters.

She couldn't let him escape; she had to continue to chase him. However, it was less likely that she would survive the trip back.

The killer reached the halfway point between shores, and the woman made up her mind. She had _no_ choice.

She jumped.


	2. Chapter 1

_The Brotherhood armour in my story is based upon the mod "Masters of Death"._

_I like my Skyrim heavily modded._

* * *

"We've heard of another potential contract."

Kedi looked up and spotted Astrid emerging from the shadows of the reading nook. She closed her book with one hand over the spine and set it on the table in front of her as she reclined back into the seat.

"Where?"

"Windhelm. A madman is offing young elven women, and some of the townspeople are finally getting tired of the guards doing nothing about it, it seems."

"Any leads, or am I to patrol at night with the Kingslayer's men?"

Astrid sighed heavily and seated herself opposite the redheaded Breton woman. Her blonde hair was pulled back tightly, her face a blank but exhausted slate. As always, she wore the uniform of her Brotherhood; black leggings and a hooded long-sleeved tunic that hung in block strips below the waist, cinched in at the waist with a wide crimson sash which covered her midriff and would remain visible once she donned the leather breastplate. The black was symbolic of Astrid's position as leader of the Dark Brotherhood, whereas everyone else wore dark grey.

"I know you dislike the Rebel King's methods, but this is still business, sister. We've caught word of the Black Sacrament being performed by dozens of grieving parents, and we must answer."

"When do I leave?"

"Tonight, so say your goodbyes soon. You'll be going alone."

"I thought as much. Does Veezara have a contract?"

Astrid rested her elbow on the table and raised a hand to her forehead. "No. You know we haven't been getting as many contracts as we used to, do _not_ test me! I'm losing enough- _we're _losing enough, without losing our members, too. I refuse to endanger them by sending them out when it isn't necessary. It's an easy enough mission; you will do it alone. Do not question me again, Kedi." She rose to her feet and stalked out of the room.

Kedi sighed and reached forward to grab her book.

"She can't make me stay."

The young woman couldn't help but smile as she heard the raspy voice of her Argonian partner. "Yes, she can, Veezara. You know how unstable she's been lately; who knows what she'd do if you disobeyed her."

"Well… Technically, she hasn't ordered me to stay, yet." He sat in the chair Astrid had vacated, and placed his softly scaled hand on Kedi's. Argonians were the reptilian people of Tamriel, hailing from the tropical and deadly country of Black Marsh. Inter-species relationships were never practical with Argonians, but Kedi had always had a connection with Veezara, if not a physical one.

"She probably knew you were listening in. She's the most skilled out of all of us, even Babette, and she's a vampire."

"Really? I would've said Festus was better, with his invisibility spells and everything…"

Kedi laughed. "That's not the point. And you know he likes his fireballs and frenzy spells better, anyway."

"That's true… The old man is crazy." Veezara eyed his Breton lover as they fell into comfortable silence, while she contemplated the trip ahead.

He watched Kedi, in deep thought, rub the long scars that marred her right cheek. They were from an animal attack when she was younger, she claimed, which would explain why they had healed so badly. Her right eye had also been damaged in the attack, which meant she had to cover it while in brighter places. Usually, she wore a strip of black linen that she tied at the back – and it surprisingly seemed to improve her aim – but the Sanctuary of their Brotherhood was dim enough that she could see well enough out of both eyes and didn't have to blindfold herself. For far away targets, Kedi had managed to build a scouter out of old Dwarven parts, which considerably improved her sight when she wore it in place of her blindfold.

Her yellow eyes flicked to Veezara's face as she came back to the present. "It'll be an easy contract, you'll see. I'll be back before you know it! … Right?"

He choked out a laugh and nodded. "Maybe Astrid will let you take Shadowmere… You'd be back by tomorrow night, with that demon horse."

Kedi smiled. "I'd best get ready… If I think my return will be delayed, I'll send a raven." With a sigh, the Breton grabbed her book and kissed Veezara's scaled brow. "Tell Gabriella and the others… Well, just say goodbye for me."

"You aren't going to speak to them before you leave?"

"No time, Veezara. No time." She waved as she stalked from the room.


	3. Chapter 2

Astrid had begrudgingly given up Shadowmere, and Kedi was thankful as she hung low over his neck, cherishing his body heat while the snow flurried heavily around them. He was fast, though. It was entirely possible they'd reach Windhelm before nightfall.

It had been a while since she'd last left the Sanctuary, and the blindfold felt peculiar and itchy on her face, but she enjoyed getting out amongst the trees all the same. Kedi's sense of direction was fantastic and Shadowmere was excellent with uneven terrain, so they didn't have to stick to the roads.

Wolves and other creatures would occasionally decide to chase them, but it would be only moments before the magnificent horse had outrun them.

Kedi had donned her leather Brotherhood armour, gauntlets and boots but a dark green cloak covered the trademark gear and helped them blend in amongst the trees. Or at least, it had… Until they had reached the north and everything had become blanketed in white. Luckily, she'd grabbed some cloaking potions and a tome from Festus and Gabriella's alchemy room before she left.

Just as the sun touched the horizon, Kedi spotted the tall stone walls of Windhelm. The snow had finally calmed, and she took a moment to admire the sight of the orange sun reflecting on the sheets of ice floating on the sea in the distance.

Before she reached the stables, she pulled her cloak securely round her and tugged the hood to conceal more of her face. She pulled Shadowmere to a stop and called on the stable boy. He appeared within a moment, and stared into her hood for a minute before stuttering out a welcome.

"Um… Good evenin'!... Miss..? What can I, uh, do for you?"

"What's the protocol with horses here, boy? Do I dismount here and walk the frozen bridge, or will you lead my stallion back and tend to him for me?"

The boy swallowed heavily and stared with uncertainty at the giant horse. "Um… I can tend to it… him. Miss. I think."

"Good. Come, then."

She urged Shadowmere forward, and, as always, he responded as though he were a part of Kedi. The trio began the trip across the long stone bridge, as the cold wind picked up. Thankfully, tall parapets sheltered them from the worst of it.

"So, uh… What brings you to Windhelm, Miss?"

"Business."

"In Windhelm? Huh… Oh, are you a supporter o' the Rebellion, Miss?"

She resisted the urge to growl at the boy, but permitted herself to roll her eyes. "No."

"Hmm. That's the only reason we get newcomers round here anymore. I will say, it's a little refreshing to see someone walking along this bridge without the armour on." He turned to peer at her again. "Although, I suppose I don't know what you've got on under there."

Kedi could practically hear the cogs turning in his head as he processed his next thoughts. When his step faltered, she knew he had reached the predictable conclusion.

"Uh… Miss…" He put his hand on the cheap short sword strapped to his hip. "Are you… You a soldier of the Legion? Here to spy? Attack us? You won't get near the Rebel King, you know! He's well protected! You better just leave, now!" He backed up a few steps and drew his sword, but panic was clear in his eyes.

"Calm yourself, boy. I'm not a fan of the Rebel King, but I'm no Empire dog either. My business here is unrelated to this silly war and your obtuse Kingslayer." He relaxed a little, but his brow wrinkled. "What's your name?"

"Aventus, Miss. Aventus Aretino."

Kedi's eyebrows shot up. "That's an Imperial name. What are _you_ doing living in the rebel city?"

"My parents, uh, died… They were actually supporters of the rebellion, though. I didn't have anywhere to go after they… You know. So I stayed and got work at the stables."

"Why did they support the Kingslayer?"

The boy shrugged. "I didn't pay it much attention when I was younger. They spoke a lot about freedom though. That's all I remember."

"Hmm. I've heard Cyrodiil is quite a sight to behold. Certainly better than this cold, wet country."

"I wouldn't know, Miss. I was but a babe when my family came here."

"How did they die?"

"Sickness, Miss. Said to be spread by the Dunmer elves in the poor quarter."

"Do you know anything about the Dunmer girls being murdered?"

The boy's step faltered once more and he studied the stonework on the parapets. "No, Miss. I've tried to keep out of it. If you're hereabout that, you should check at the inn, or speak to the steward."

Kedi studied Aventus for a moment. If she were anyone else, she would've dismissed him immediately, assuming he was too young to be the murderer, but working with a 300-year-old child assassin and alchemist changed your view on some things.

"Will do. I may return to speak with you again; where are you staying?" They reached the huge gates, and Kedi quickly dismounted and stroked Shadowmere's neck.

"For now, I still have my parents' house. It's one of the upstairs apartments on the east side of town that hangs over the alleyway, the one of the left."

"For now?" Kedi furrowed her brow and handed the boy the beast's reins.

"The steward is turning me out and reclaiming the building soon, since my parents died and I can't afford to keep it. I spend most of my days at the stables, though."

"Alright. I'll find you." Kedi nodded, gave Shadowmere's neck one last pat and entered the city through the tall gate as the guards hauled the heavy doors open.


	4. Chapter 3

Kedi patrolled the streets for three nights to no avail. Speaking to the Steward had proved unhelpful as the man seemed to be an idiot, blissfully unaware of the happenings in the city he was employed to keep a watchful eye on.

On the second night, the murderer had managed to evade Kedi and strike again. The young Dunmer girl had been found sprawled on one of the stone crypts in the lower graveyard with several strange stab wounds in her belly and chest. Tonight, Kedi had to step up her efforts, although she presumed she had a few nights before he would strike again.

She had been to visit the Aretino boy that morning, after finding the Dunmer corpse. He hadn't heard, or at least had played the part very convincingly. He had turned a paler shade when she brought the news up and seemed genuinely grieved over the girl's death. Kedi was also certain he was starting to worry over her suspicions that he might be the culprit. She was finding it harder to believe with each passing day that she had to ponder on it, though.

The guards had been eager to accept her help at first, but had gradually grown suspicious of her efforts until they stopped sharing information with her and began sending her on fool's errands instead.

She had sent a letter to Veezara by raven to let him know she would be a few more days, but she had yet to receive a reply.

Small blood drops had led Kedi through the snow on the second night, from the graveyard and crime scene, to a house near the town walls. This evening, she had been granted access to that house, and she headed towards it as the late sun passed behind the walls and the town was cast into the shade.

A guard eyed her from the corner of the street as she produced the rusted key and let herself in. The steward had claimed the house was abandoned, and had been for years. From the looks of it, he was right.

Cobwebs dominated every corner and dust motes hung in the shafts of dim light that came in through the dirty windows. Broken bottles littered the floor next to an upturned table, and a chest lay open and empty against the left wall. A door to the right led to a room which proved empty except from a few pots and pans piled together on the floor. Stairs led upwards in the main room, but all the rooms there proved equally empty, which odd pieces of furniture stacked or piled together in an odd fashion, or broken.

Kedi was about to leave, her brow furrowed at having discovered so little that could help her in her search, when she noticed a cupboard pushed against the back wall in the main room, half hidden behind the staircase. A quick look at it told her something was off – it was the only object in the house that was still in good condition; there was no reason for it to have been left behind. It was also locked and seemed fairly secured to the wall.

She produced her lockpicks from the satchel that hung around her waist, and within a few moments she heard the satisfying click. The cupboard door swung open to reveal more emptiness. With a frustrated shout, Kedi kicked the door. The kick caused the back panel to rattle and the young Breton paused.

Wrapping her hands round the edges of the cupboard, she tried to pull it forward but it refused to budge. It was definitely secured to the wall, so why was the back panel rattling? She kicked it again for good measure and found the same result. She ran her fingers round the edges of the panel, and near the bottom she found her fingers caught on a small hole.

Dropping to her knees, she peered into it but found nothing except blackness. She bit her lip for a moment, before drawing her dagger from its sheath at her hip. Poking the tip in the hole and twisting proved to have little effect, till she withdrew the blade and heard a familiar click. As she stood up, the back panel slid open and revealed a secret room.

With a smug smile, Kedi wrenched a torch from the wall and lit it with a flick of her fingertips. Flames were a simple destruction spell that she'd managed to master at an early age, though she still wasn't practiced enough with magic to keep it up for any longer than a short burst.

The flames caught, and the torch illuminated the small hidden room. Bones were piled in the corner, next to a table that held an incomplete skeleton surrounded by candles and various other apothecaries' ingredients, much like the ritual used to call upon the Dark Brotherhood of old. It was said the Night Mother, wife to the Dread Father, used to deliver news of a ritual to the Brotherhood, but the Mother's voice had been lost for years after distant Sanctuaries had been destroyed, and there was no one to listen to her anymore. Kedi's Sanctuary was the only one left now, and Astrid was their matron.

A chest lay shut in the corner, and hundreds of sheets of paper spilled out when Kedi lifted the lid. Upon closer inspection, they looked to be leaflets warning Windhelm's citizens of the serial killer. At the bottom lay a small leather bound journal, which Kedi quickly opened once she threw the leaflets on the ground. She was eager to have the job done with so she could get home to Veezara, and she wanted to know who this elf killing bastard was. She wanted to kill him and be done.

Within its pages were sketches and paragraphs on the ritual displayed on the table. The sketches depicted a bloody human heart, harvested on the full moon, in the middle of the skeleton, which was missing from the table – evidently the killer's work wasn't yet done. It seemed as though he was trying to reanimate a person long dead. According to the journal, if you had the person's skull, you could recreate the rest of the skeleton from other bodies and the ritual would bind the bones together and regrow the flesh. A useful ritual… But the fact that it belonged to the killer of young elf girls made it feel dirty in Kedi's hands. She found it hard to fit in with anyone, but she related more to elves than humans, or even Bretons. She appreciated their natural skill and agility, and thought they possessed a beautiful magic that other races just couldn't achieve. It was also a personal rule to never kill the young or defenceless.

She flipped through another few pages of the journal, until something slipped from the book and landed with a soft _clank_ on her lap. Kedi lifted it with her fingers and examined what seemed to be a strange amulet hanging on a length of leather. Set in a disc of some black metal was a circle of jade, and a silver skull outlined by some red gem, like ruby. She'd never seen anything like it, but it seemed the sort of object that would belong to a necromancer. Given the circumstances she found it in, that was definitely likely. Now she just had to figure out who it belonged to – perhaps the steward or Aventus had seen something like it.

Kedi slipped the journal and the amulet into her satchel and left the abandoned house, the secret room hidden once more.


	5. Chapter 4

"Nope, never seen anything like it. Have you tried speaking to the court wizard? Or maybe Calixto Corrium. One of them would be sure to know where that thing came from."

Kedi sighed. The steward had said the same thing, but the wizard was just an old man, becoming senile while practising spells in his room at the Rebel King's palace. The steward hadn't been able to point her in Calixto's direction either, since he never seemed to leave the safety of that damned cold palace, but perhaps the boy could help her.

"This Calixto – where can I find him? Who is he? What's his history?"

"I think his house is at the very end of this street, by the right wall near the front gate. You should be able to tell which one it is – there's usually a sign outside welcoming you to Calixto's House of Curiosities."

"So he collects rare things? Like what?"

"Oh, um, all things. Books, ingredients, gems…" Aventus gestured towards Kedi. "Amulets, and other enchanted items. If anyone, he will have seen something similar to that."

"When did he come here? Does he live with anyone?"

"Fairly recently, actually, to set up his shop. I don't think he lives with anyone, but I've heard he talks about his sister a lot – Lucilla, or something. He's from Cyrodiil, but he doesn't seem to care about the war either –it's like he doesn't notice it at all."

"Hmm…" Kedi stared at the amulet in her hand, rubbing it with her thumb as she thought. Perhaps Calixto should be on her list of suspects. She sighed, the whole town was probably mad enough to be on her list. Half of them hated elves and the other half _were_ elves.

Aventus stifled a yawn and ran a hand over his face. It was late – Kedi had gone straight to his home after searching the abandoned house, and it was now well after sunset. She slipped the amulet back into her satchel and stood.

"I won't intrude any longer, Aventus. Thank you for your help." She smiled at the boy, while worrying that she was beginning to grow fond of him. She liked the way he always made sure to maintain eye contact, and never stared at her scars or tried to peer beneath the strip of black linen she wore as a blindfold. He assured her it was no problem at all, and she left to make her way back to the inn.

On her way, she noticed the building Aventus had thought belonged to Calixto, and her golden yellow eye studied it underneath her dark hood. It seemed rather nondescript, however, and she continued to make her way back.

She kept her hood up and her cloak wrapped tight as she entered the inn, but one of the barmaids caught her halfway up the stairs. The woman touched Kedi's arm briefly before recoiling.

"Uh, there's mail for you, Miss." She reached within the folds of her apron and produced a sealed letter. "Arrived an hour or so ago." The barmaid began to try looking beneath the cloak, but the trademark tunic was concealed.

Kedi thanked her gruffly and proceeded up the stairs, eager to read the letter. She hoped it was from Veezara, for she missed him dearly already.


	6. Chapter 5

She read the letter for the third time – and for the third time, her eyes narrowed as she read those last lines.

"_In your absence, the Night Mother has arrived at our Sanctuary. Apparently, the Keeper somehow survived the raid on his Sanctuary and brought her here, and now Astrid claims she can hear her voice. She says the Night Mother has informed her of a contract, and… it's big, Kedi. I can't help but feel there's something she's hiding from us. It doesn't feel right, but with the way she's been lately, who knows what would happen if I voiced my opinion._

_I don't know why I'm writing, love. I suppose I needed to just get this out, even if it is a risk. What if Astrid found my letter before I posted it? But I'm staring at my words and seeing that I'm afraid of my own Matron. This is not right. I feel things have been changing, Kedi, and something's going to happen. I miss you, and right now, the whole Brotherhood needs you._

_I hope for your speedy return, love."_

She scratched her right eye and ran a finger down the scars on her cheek. It was still night and the light from the candles was dim enough to go without the blindfold, of which she was glad; it had been bothering her lately.

Since the killer's journal had insisted that the heart be taken on a full moon, Kedi had taken the night off. She had a few days till he would strike again, if he kept to his instructions, and she would need to be well rested if she wanted to catch him. And, admittedly, the letter from Veezara had taken precedence in her mind over everything else.

The news of the Night Mother's supposed return was troubling. Astrid had seemed to be struggling with her very sanity lately, with the slightest things sending her into a boiling rage. She doubted the loyalty of the other members of their Brotherhood, accusing them of planning to kill her or leave. There was a time when Kedi had seen Astrid as a mother, but now she would not put it past her to lie about something as sacred as the Mother's words. She would have to get this contract done soon and head back, before things got ugly.

She folded the letter back up, and ran a finger over Veezara's wax seal. She would find Calixto tomorrow, and hopefully he would have some information on the amulet, otherwise she was back to square one and it would be even longer before she saw the Haven again.

Undressing, she hid the letter amongst the folds of her tunic and lay down on the hard bed. With the thick fur blanket pulled over her, the cold air of the northern town disappeared, and Kedi fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 6

Calixto's House of Curiosities was much easier to find during the day. He had erected a wooden sign above the door with a ludicrous font that invited you to be amazed. Kedi stared at it in slight disbelief as she clung to the shadows by the tall city wall. With a sigh, she ran a finger under her blindfold in discomfort before heading into the gloomy building.

"Ah! A visitor! Welcome, to Calixto's House of Curiosities! Prepare your simple mind to be _amazed _as I take you on an adventure through the world of Tamriel!"

Calixto emerged from the shadows and recited his spiel with painful enthusiasm, but as he opened his mouth to continue, Kedi held up a hand to stop him and studied him for a moment. He was an older man, thin, with greying brown hair that made a feeble attempt to cover the growing bald spot atop his head. His small dark eyes watched her like a predator and didn't sparkle the way they should when he smiled.

"I'm not here for the tour, I don't want to be amazed, and I don't want to prepare my simple mind for anything. I just want to know if you've seen anything like this." She pulled the amulet from her satchel and presented it to him, but kept it wrapped tightly in her fingers.

His face fell for just a second, but Kedi caught it. Something about him was familiar, and it was making her uneasy. He brought a hand to his chin after composing himself and stared at the object intently.

"Hmm, well, that _is _a fancy looking thing. Where did you find it?"

_You know just where I found it, don't you…_ "On the road." She shrugged. "A bandit accosted me on my way here, and he was wearing that. What do you think it is?"

Calixto tried to grab it from her, but she held tightly, watching him with wary eyes. After a moment, he gave her a quick look of anger and settled for staring at it in her hand, but with all his movement, she'd caught a glimpse of the amulet he wore beneath his shirt – the amulet that matched the one in her hand.

"It's probably just some bandit insignia, or perhaps a rogue mage's trinket. Either way, I imagine it is of little importance. If a bandit had it, it was most likely stolen in the first place. However…" He tried to smile kindly, but in his eyes was the look of a hawk before it catches a mouse. "I will take it off your hands, for a sum of… Let's say… 100 gold coins? You won't want to be in possession of stolen property, now."

Kedi decided to play the part of the naïve, and moved her hand up and down, as though weighing the amulet. "That's true…" She widened her eyes. "Do you _have_ 100 gold coins?"

Calixto's shark grin widened. "Yes, yes! One moment…" He disappeared into the back room, and Kedi took the opportunity to look behind the front desk, but she found nothing incriminating; only a coin purse and a small dagger, too ordinary to be the weapon that had made the unique stab marks on the victim. The shelves seemed to hold only spell tomes and various other mage and apothecary objects. He was obviously skilled in the magical arts, but that didn't make him the murderer. The fruitless search meant that it was easy for her to look as though she had only been waiting on him though, and so his suspicion wasn't aroused when he returned.

"Here we are, 100 gold coins!"

_Now_ his eyes sparkled – he wanted that amulet. With the genuinely eager expression on his face, Kedi realised where she remembered him from. He had been present at the murder scene on the second night, his eyes sparkling with obvious pleasure as he stared at the mangled corpse of the young elf girl.

"On second thought, I think I'll keep it. You know, as a souvenir." Seeing him want the amulet so badly made her even more reluctant to give it to him. Perhaps he needed it to continue the ritual.

"But-"

"Thank you for your time, goodbye!" She ducked out of the building before he could stop her, and hid round the corner. She'd wait for him to leave in order to conduct a proper search of the house. All signs pointed to him being the killer, but she needed evidence.


	8. Chapter 7

Calixto left a few hours before sunset, wearing the same clothes he wore earlier. Kedi suspected he would return soon, whether he really was the murderer or not, but that was the reason she had kept a few invisibility potions stowed in her satchel. If he came in before her search was over, she'd still be able to take a look around, even if she had to wait for him to look away before she picked anything up.

The lock on the door was harder than she had expected, and it took a few minutes till she heard the click. Thankfully, the guards seemed sparse this evening, so she worked without being bothered. It seemed they'd grown lax in their duty since she'd arrived to do it for them.

Once inside, Kedi bypassed the front of the building and headed for the back room where Calixto had disappeared to retrieve his gold. The front seemed like that of a store, and nothing of true value would be held there.

In the back room, she found a bed, similar to her own at the inn, with a table next to it. A bookcase rested against the opposite wall. All pieces of furniture were bare – not even a fur blanket or pillow graced the hard slab of the wooden bed. There were no books, no cups or plates, or pitchers or jugs, or paintings. It seemed the man didn't care for comforts or decorations.

A ladder in the corner of the room led up to a balcony that overlooked the front while still remaining obscured from visitors. The ladder itself had been partially hidden by the bookcase. It was obvious Calixto had tried to keep the balcony from being discovered. After climbing the ladder, it also became apparent that this was where he really slept. A bedroll was rolled out next to a locked chest, and covered with blankets.

The lock on the chest was even harder to pick than the front door and Kedi was rapidly growing more frustrated, and she was quickly running out of lockpicks after breaking most of them on the damned lock. Eventually, she dropped the picks and kicked the chest, utterly fed up with it.

That's when she heard the key in the front door. She froze as Calixto pushed the door open and entered the house; her breath caught in her throat, silently pleading him not to look up. And then she remembered that she was hidden from her vantage point on the balcony.

Keeping one eye on Calixto as he worked below, Kedi continued her efforts with the chest, trying to remain as silent as possible. She refused to use her potions until she had to, since each only lasted a few minutes. Running out could mean the difference between life and death.

A few more minutes passed without incident, until she heard the scrape of chair legs against the floor. Calixto had finished whatever work he was doing at the desk, and was now heading into the back room. If he looked up while in that room, he'd be able to see her. She pulled a potion from her satchel reluctantly but quickly, and pulled the stopper in preparation.

He kept to the wall below the balcony, but when he placed his hands on the ladder, Kedi slipped the potion down her throat and checked her hands. She breathed a sigh of relief and silently shuffled backwards against the wall. The potion had worked, and she should be able to remain undetectable. With potions, it was always a risk that they were faulty; especially if they were bought outside the Sanctuary and the apothecary had discovered the buyer's link to the Brotherhood.

Kedi lurked in the corner by the chest and waited. If Calixto came close enough, she might be able to slip the key from his pocket. She held her breath as he crouched in front of it and produced the key to unlock it. There was a certain madness now present in his eyes that hadn't been quite as apparent before.

He feverishly pulled the chest open and searched through the contents. Kedi peered in, but only saw dozens of leather bound journals, all without names and largely generic. The matching amulet now hung free from his shirt, hanging in the air and almost glowing in the dim candle light of the room below. He started muttering to himself as he threw journals from the chest, until he found the one he was looking for. He ripped it open, produced a quill pen and began scribbling furiously, surrounded by the various other journals he had liberated from the chest in his haste.

"Stupid Breton… wasted my time… She won't do, no, won't do… Will have to take my frustrations out on the next one… Just can't damage the heart… No, no, no…"

Kedi grimaced. She couldn't leave without that journal, but her potion would soon run out. Calixto showed no sign of leaving, though.

Then she remembered a simple spell from her youth, used to project the caster's voice. It had come in handy whilst playing hide and seek games with the other children, she recalled vaguely. The memories of her past always seemed to remain foggy until she required them. Even then, she remembered just what she needed, and nothing more.

She closed her eyes and cast it. Her heart pounded as she doubted whether it had worked, but she drew reassurance from the mental click. Casting was sometimes like a thief picking an easy lock – it felt natural, and you just _knew_ when it had worked. Still, she coughed quietly to make sure, and was relieved when she heard her own cough from outside the building.

"Calixto!" The call came as though someone was at the door, but the thin man's eyes seemed glazed over and he didn't appear to have noticed.

"**_Calixto Corrium_****!**" She shouted louder, and his head finally lifted from the journal. With a sigh, he heaved himself to his feet and left the book lying open on the floor, before heading down the ladder. Just as his feet touched the ground, the potion's effects faded and Kedi's own hands appeared in front of her. She grabbed the journal and pored over its contents.

All doubt as to his guilt was erased. The journal Calixto had just been scribbling in was the diary of a mad man, without a doubt. He didn't just miss his sister, he felt responsible for leaving her at home the night she was murdered by a band of Dunmer bandits. And now he strived to recreate Lucilla's skeleton with the bodies of those who belonged to the same race as her killers, and bring her back to life.

Calixto returned from checking the door and began to change his clothes. It seemed he would commit his final killing tonight after all.

When he finally left, Kedi returned her gaze to the journal and glanced at the writings within a few others. The elves had grown wary in the town now, and hardly strayed outside at night – it should take a few hours before he found his next victim.

After her curiosity was satisfied, she slipped the most important journals into her satchel and left the house. That's when Kedi heard the screams.


	9. Chapter 8

She raced towards the sounds of the girl's screams, but she was too late. Calixto dropped the body while he glared at her as though feral, and the girl's blood soon pooled beneath her. He took one last withering look at the girl then, deserting his last necessary ingredient, he turned and ran down the street. Kedi glanced at the dying girl but knew she didn't have the necessary skills to save her; she worked with death, not life. Leaving her to bleed out and become another of the butcher's victims, she chased after her killer.

He led her down towards the docks, weaving his way through the winding and confusing streets of Windhelm. Calixto was being smart and trying to lose her, but at the same time, he was leading her to a dead end. Unless he had a ship waiting, there was nowhere for him to run once they reached the docks – and it was unlikely he had a ship, since he had been expecting to stay a few more days to finish the ritual.

They reached the bottom of the long, wide stone steps that led down to the docks, and entered the mist the covered the water at night. Kedi followed the sound of the murderer's feet slapping against wet stone, and nearly drew close enough to grab his shirt, until he turned sharply and headed down the boardwalk.

There was nowhere for him to run. She drew her dagger from her waist and followed him quickly but cautiously.

She heard the splash of his body hitting the water long before she saw his head bobbing up and down as he raced in the direction of the stables on the opposite shore. The water was freezing, with broken sheets of ice floating on the surface. But Kedi knew he had extensive knowledge in magic, so it was entirely possible he could survive braving the icy waters.

Kedi, on the other hand, didn't and probably wouldn't. But she couldn't give up. He was her target, this was her contract, and she had to fulfil it. She couldn't let him get away.

She ripped her satchel from her waist, and unclipped the cloak from around her neck, and dived.

If she had been wearing her armour, she would have had no chance of catching him. Thankfully, she was still wearing only her tunic, and she was also younger and fitter than he was. By the time he reached the shore, she had caught up to him, and she tackled him into the snow.

He had lost his weapon during the chase, but now fire spouted from his palms as he cast destruction magic.

Kedi dodged as much as she could, but the flames still sizzled against her wet clothing. She tugged her dagger from her hip, but it was wet and her fingers were frozen and numb and she could barely keep a grip on it.

With a wave of his hand, Kedi soon heard the crackle of a fire spirit being summoned behind her. The heat radiating from the flaming ethereal beast scorched her white skin, but didn't warm the cold that the icy waters had instilled inside her bones.

The spirit shot a ball of flames in her direction, but she leapt back and it missed her by an inch or so. It twirled in the air before shooting another, while Calixto turned and started running again.

The memory of how to cast a ward bubbled to the forefront of her mind and she cast it. It failed the first time, but after the second try, a translucent shield formed in front of her. The spirit's flames bounced off the ward harmlessly, but each hit weakened her even further. Even so, she edged forward until she was eventually close enough to through her dagger with enough force to kill the conjured spirit. It crumpled to the ground in a pile of ash, and she swept up the dagger and continued her chase after her target.

Calixto reached the road, but stumbled on the paving stones. As he fell into the snow drifts, Kedi summoned the dregs of her strength and leapt on him, pinning his hands behind him to prevent him for casting again.

"Release me, elf-blood bitch! I'll burn your eyes from your skull and cut you into a dozen pieces!"

"Shut up."

She released his hands and thrust her dagger into his heart. He gasped as his life-blood bubbled out of his chest and mouth. Before he choked on his own blood, he breathed his sister's name, and within moments, he was surrounded by pink slush as his life force bled into the snow and melted it.

The contract was completed. Finally, Kedi could leave the damned cold north and go home to Veezara and her family; but even as she voiced the thought in her head and tried to smile, she found her face wouldn't move. She couldn't stand up. She thought it couldn't possibly be hypothermia, because she just felt so _warm_.

Then she blinked and realised she had fallen into the snow next to Calixto, and although she knew she should, she just couldn't bring herself to care. She closed her eyes, just to rest a moment, and she didn't open them again.


	10. Chapter 9

The warmth of a campfire brought Kedi back to consciousness. When she opened her eyes, she saw the stars sparkling above and a circle of tall trees all around her. She clenched her hands and her fingertips dug into the earth. She sat up with a groan and clutched her head when the world began to swim around her.

The campfire was burning healthily, with unrecognisable meat roasting on a spit above it. A strange elf sat on the opposite side, her peculiar eyes sparkling in the firelight – they were completely black with a golden ring for an iris. Her hair was whiter than bone despite her obvious youth, and pulled back in a half-ponytail, exposing cheekbones and ears that were both sharper than a knife. Her skin was a dark golden brown, and contrasted starkly with the flyaway strands of snowy white hair that escaped the leather strap. She wore a leather vest which exposed toned arms, and leggings, despite the harsh weather, with various belts and satchels hung about her person. Kedi's studying her went unnoticed, as the elf was concentrating on restringing her elaborate bow.

"Nice bow. It's not wooden, is it?"

The elf focused her strange eyes on Kedi, causing her to shiver. Something about that bottomless black ringed with gold was unsettling; they looked devoid of emotion.

"No, it is bone."

"Thought so. You are a traditional Bosmer elf of the forest, then?"

"When possible. I will not starve to death just because there is no one to eat, however."

Kedi examined the elf with more caution as she returned to her work. That was the reason behind the black eyes then. Most Bosmer elves refused to harm any plants for their own gain, and instead chose to live as carnivores and, sometimes, cannibals. Devout Bosmer ate everyone they killed, and were said to possess the ability to transform into violent, crazed animals able to destroy and devour hundreds of enemies. This woman was definitely dangerous, and yet she had saved Kedi instead of eating her.

"You are alive because the Gods made it so."

Kedi's eyebrows shot up. "The _Gods _saved me?"

That uneasy gaze returned to her face. "They called on me, and I saved you. Then I dealt with your victim." She gestured to the fire and Kedi paled as she realised where the roasting meat had come from.

"He was murdering Dunmer girls in the city."

"I do not care. I was not judging you."

Kedi ran a finger under her blindfold and turned to study their surroundings instead, in order to avoid looking at the Bosmer that made her so nervous. The forest was strangely green, considering they couldn't be far from Windhelm, but she noticed her armour and full satchel lying nearby.

"Do you get into the town often?"

"No. The forest is my home."

"How did you get my belongings from the inn?"

"I called on the Aretino boy you had spoken to previously, and he assisted me. I did not enter that place. It would have been dangerous."

"So, you solely live off what you find in the wild?"

"Yes. I do not like to kill my beasts, but they clothe, feed and arm me. I do not leave the trees. They hold my magic."

Questions buzzed around Kedi's mind like flies. Every other Bosmer she'd come across in Skyrim had relinquished their traditional ways along with their homeland, and it was rare that a true Bosmer would share their lore with you.

"Your beasts?"

She gestured to the woods around them. "The animals that dwell amongst the trees. They are kin. My beasts."

"So they obey you?"

"They do not attack me. They see me as beast, like them. I can force my will onto them, if I must. I prefer not to."

"And the trees hold your magic? What does that mean?"

"I cannot be killed amongst my trees. They protect me, revive me if necessary. They make me eternal, they make me powerful. So, I do not leave them."

"Sounds like a nice deal." Kedi smiled.

"It is all I know."

"Why did you leave Valenwood?"

"I do not recall ever being there."

"But all Bosmer come from the Sacred Forest."

"Not this one."

The Breton frowned as she tried to make sense of the elf before her.

"How did the Gods lead you to me?"

"The trees whispered of you, of Sithis and his Wife, a spirit yet to join you, and a duty yet to be fulfilled."

Kedi raised her eyebrows again; this Bosmer was full of surprises. "What else did the trees tell you?"

"They whispered of death, betrayal, love, and rebirth; a journey on which I must accompany you. I cannot tell you more than this."

"Why not?"

"It is not for you to know yet."

Kedi studied the elf while she thankfully kept her gaze down. There were faint white markings on her brown skin, like old tribal tattoos, mostly dots and straight lines converging on one another in an elegant design around her features and arms. Her long and pointed ears were pierced, with big white discs hanging from the lobes, accompanied by various coloured beads. Her leather vest was tight, with a fur lining, and tied down the front, with her leggings of a similar design. Her feet were bare, and sported the same white tattoos as her face and arms. Two thick belts hung around her waist, carrying assorted knives and daggers, potions and ointments, and a third was slung over a shoulder and worn across her torso. The third belt had many small pouches and a larger bag near the hip. Two larger daggers were sheathed on the belts around her waist, but her long nimble fingers showed her preference and fondness for the bow as she continued tending to it.

"I need to get back home."

"Yes, you do. But we will eat and rest first, and wait until sunrise."

Kedi's stomach turned at the thought of eating the man she had chased through Windhelm, but her worried thoughts were silenced when the Bosmer produced a roasted rabbit for Kedi instead and kept the Imperial flesh for herself.

"I can't just let you into our Sanctuary. There's a reason we've survived this long; we stay hidden, we stay safe."

"You have nothing to fear from me. I would not care to see the Brotherhood come to an end. Everyone must die, after all."

Kedi stared at the elf for a moment longer before nodding to show she trusted her. They ate in silence, and afterwards the Bosmer elf prepared a fur-lined bedroll for Kedi to sleep on, announcing that she would prefer to sleep amongst the flowers and grasses instead. When they had settled, the Breton realised she hadn't asked the elf for her name.

"Do you have a name?"

"None that would be of use to you." She replied, and was silent for a moment. "But you may call me Nock."

Kedi smiled in the light of the dying fire, her eyes somehow exhausted again already. Nock: the cut on the end of an arrow to keep it in its place and to stop it slipping. She couldn't help but appreciate the prophetic feel to that name.


	11. Chapter 10

"It is time, Breton."

Kedi opened her eyes to find herself staring into bottomless depths. Nock blinked and moved away, freeing Kedi from her frightening gaze. The elf had strapped her unusual bow and arrows to her back, and retied the leather thong that held back her white hair.

The sun barely peeked over the mountains in the distance, and everything was basked in a dark orange glow. There were few clouds in the sky, so Kedi tightened her blindfold in preparation for the bright day ahead. Then she fastened her satchel and her cloak, after donning her armour.

"How far do we have to travel?" She looked around and took in their surroundings in the new light. "Where are we?"

"Closer than you think." The elf replied, without looking back. She raised a hand to her lips and produced a quiet whistle sound that seemed to echo and travel through the trees. Within moments, the sound of hooves on dirt reached Kedi's ears, and soon enough, Shadowmere and a chestnut-coloured wild horse emerged into the small clearing.

Kedi smiled and rubbed Shadowmere's nose in greeting. "I hope you didn't think I had forgotten about you, boy."

The huge steed neighed, and as Nock walked past to mount the wild horse, she said, "He did not."

Kedi quickly leapt into the saddle. "You can speak to horses?"

"All things whisper, Breton, but you lost the ears to listen with different blood and ages gone by. Come, you must go home."

Amazingly, the duo reached the Sanctuary before noon. Any animals that they crossed in the forest largely left them alone, thanks to Nock's presence, although a small pack of wolves did decide to run with them for a short time. Kedi enjoyed the experience, and took the time to watch the wild and beautiful animals.

When they reached the door hidden beneath a small cliff, Kedi dismounted and released Shadowmere. He wouldn't venture far, and always came running when called. Nock eyed the large black door with cautious eyes, fixating on the skull that stared back.

"Are you certain you want to continue following me?" Kedi asked.

The Bosmer elf nodded curtly. "I must."

Kedi gave a small smile and turned to the door as an ethereal voice demanded to know what the music of life was. Kedi whispered the answer and after a short moment, the skull's eyes began to glow red and a harsh groan emanated from the door as it slid open to reveal a dimly lit staircase. Beckoning the elf with a smile, Kedi descended into the Sanctuary.


	12. Chapter 11

"You've returned! And we were so worried you'd struggle to murder a murderer." Nazir's silky baritones greeted them at the foot of the stairs. He was from Hammerfell and dressed as such despite no longer needing to be equipped for the deserts of his homeland. "Uh… Who is this?" His dark eyes studied Nock warily as she stood motionless next to Kedi.

"This is Nock. She saved me after I made the kill, and… Apparently, she needs to accompany me on some journey that has yet to reveal itself." Kedi smiled and raised an eyebrow, after slipping off her blindfold.

"I am not a danger to you or your Sanctuary, Redguard."

"Hmm, we'll see." Nazir chuckled. "Astrid is not going to like this, Kedi."

"I'll make her understand. She can sleep in my room – I'm sure I have a bedroll stowed away somewhere. It's around noon, right? Is everyone still eating?"

Nazir nodded and began to lead them through the cave network that was the Sanctuary.

"We weren't expecting your return for another few days. Your last letter to Veezara didn't seem to hold much promise."

"I know. It started off pretty slow, but picked up speed incredibly quickly. If I could have been more precise, I would have."

"You don't need to explain yourself to me, Kedi, but if Veezara had any hair, he would have tugged it all out already." He chuckled. "Gabriella and Babette have been bored without you. Arnbjorn and Festus barely noticed, as you can imagine. And, for me, of course, your absence was like losing my own limb!" He winked at her and Kedi smiled.

"Of course, Nazir, I wouldn't have expected any less. I know I'm your favourite!"

Eventually, they entered the large space where Arnbjorn kept his smithing equipment, as well as the training dummies everyone used to hone their individual talents. Various plants grew on the right side of the cavern, and there was a small pool of clean, sparkling water, flanked by two stairways. Above the pond, a large circle of stained-glass illustrating the Father, Sithis, was set into the wall.

The left staircase led to the smaller room where Babette and Festus kept their equipment and ingredients for alchemy and magic. There was also a small cave branching off that room in which Babette's large pet spider, Lis, resided. Proceeding through that room, the trio found the dining room.

A large wooden table dominated the space, laden with fruits, meats and vegetables, with numerous wooden chairs scattered around the table. Behind that, there was another staircase that led up to a cavern the same size as the dining room. This space held a great number of bookcases, and a reading nook in which Kedi had conversed with Veezara and Astrid before leaving.

Outside that room was a hall leading even further into the Sanctuary, where you'd find the bedrooms belonging to each member of the Brotherhood, as well as a few more caverns that held various different things, and another tunnel leading you back to the other staircase in the largest room. There's also a relatively empty room that sat on the other side of the stained-glass that depicted Sithis –it was even more dimly lit than the rest of the Sanctuary and was bathed in an orange-red glow from the glass. Veezara liked to use the room for meditation purposes, though it had once been used for debriefing in times when the Brotherhood had been more formal. The bathing cavern was located beneath that room.

The trio journeyed no further than the dining room, however, and Kedi only pictured the rest of the Haven, wistfully in her own mind. After being away for days, she wanted nothing more than to seek lonely solace in the reading nook, a solitary candle lighting her favourite book laid open in her lap.

Veezara was sat in silence, picking at the food he'd collected on his plate. The big Nord werewolf, Arnbjorn, was also silent, but raised a huge jug of ale and grunted loudly in recognition when he saw them enter. The old wizard from Cyrodiil, Festus, cackled in the corner and raised a drink that seemed to bubble and pop within the cup. The Dunmer mage, Gabriella, and the child vampire, Babette cheered Kedi's name in chorus, and Astrid halted her whispering to Arnbjorn to nod her head at Kedi and eye the strange Bosmer with suspicion. At the others' outbursts, Veezara's head had snapped up and he leapt to his feet as Nazir joined the others at the table. The Night Mother and her Keeper were nowhere to be seen.

"Kedi. You're back." He hesitated, as though a hundred things flew through his mind at one time and he had trouble holding on to any one of them, but after a moment, he raced forward and embraced his Breton lover.

"It's good to see you again, Veezara." She nestled her face in the crook between his shoulder and neck and inhaled his familiar smell for a moment. He squeezed her lightly before releasing her and stepping back with a grin. It was always hard being apart, especially since the contracts put them in so much danger. One slip, one mistake, could mean never returning home.

"You're home, but you're not alone." Astrid murmured, before raising her voice. "Who is your new friend?"

Everyone turned to study Nock, but Kedi noticed that she was as still as ever, and seemed unaffected by the group scrutinising her. Kedi glanced at Veezara worried expression. "Can I speak to you in private, Matron?"

Astrid frowned but nodded as the other started muttering amongst themselves. Veezara's bright green eyes searched Kedi's, but she smiled as reassuringly as she could and touched his arm before following Astrid through the main chamber and up the staircase into the first small cavern. Once there, the Brotherhood Matron leant herself against the table that held the large map of Skyrim, and crossed her arms across her chest. Kedi frowned at the location and Astrid's demeanour, but stayed quiet. She also noticed Nock had not followed them.

After a moment, she waved a hand in front of her. "The usual room is currently occupied by the Night Mother and her half-wit Keeper. Now, explain."

"I had some trouble fulfilling the contract."

"That much is obvious; you've been away for days."

"After discovering who he was, I caught him just after he committed another murder. I chased him, but he was smart and led me down to the docks. He was skilled in fire magic, so he dived into the waters, knowing he could warm himself afterwards and survive. I knew he'd escape if I didn't give chase, so I dived in after him. I killed him on the opposite shore, but collapsed soon after. When I awoke, I was being warmed by the Bosmer's campfire. She saved me, and also claims that the Gods helped her find me, and wish for her to accompany me."

"Accompany you where?"

"I don't know, she only said I had a journey ahead and a duty to fulfil. She refused to tell me anything else, claiming it was not for me to know yet."

"Hmm… I don't like this. You can't just bring strangers back to the Haven, what if we're discovered?"

"Nock lives in the forest, she's a true Bosmer. She adheres to her race's traditions, and never ventures into the towns or converses with anyone. She has no interest in bringing about our downfall, and nothing to gain from it. We can trust her."

Astrid studied Kedi's face for a long moment, remaining silent as she considered her words. "Fine. But I don't like it. She'll share your room, and you will remain responsible for her as long as she remains here. If anything goes wrong, if she does anything to harm us, it's your neck on the line."

Kedi nodded and Astrid spun on her heel and entered her room, shutting the door behind her. After breathing out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, Kedi returned to the dining room. When she entered, Arnbjorn saw she was alone and left to find his wife. Nock, who hadn't moved an inch since Kedi left, now joined her at the table, though she remained silent for the afternoon and into the evening, and Kedi suspected that was the lone sign that she was uncomfortable in the company of this many people. Veezara and Gabriella quickly drew the story of her contract out of her, to Babette and Nazir's joy. Festus was disappointed in the story's lack of insanity, but listened nonetheless and delighted in telling Kedi what she _should_ have done.

Eventually, the crowd began to disperse and Kedi decided it was time to introduce Nock to their room. The Bosmer remained as emotionless as ever, but there was a sparkle to her strange eyes that told Kedi she was also eager for some solitude.

Veezara moved as though to follow them, but Kedi stopped him. "I'm sharing my room with Nock, and I think she'd like to familiarise herself with it beforehand."

"Oh. Alright, I'll stay in my room tonight." He smiled, but Kedi could see the burning in his eyes.

"If Nock is alright to be left alone, I'll come see you later." She pulled his head down and laid their foreheads together before kissing his nose. He stroked her cheek and then turned away and headed to his room.

Nock was standing patiently but expectantly behind Kedi, and she seemed more at ease now that they were alone.

"How are you feeling?" Kedi asked, gesturing for the elf to follow her as she led her to their bedroom.

"I am… I am fine, but this place, it is strange. I can feel death in the air, but it is not as oppressive as I had thought it would be. There is the sense of love and family, but there is also a lingering fear. I can also feel my trees, but the connection is weaker now that I am so far beneath them. I think my beasts are lost to me, for now."

"Can the trees still sustain you as they did?"

"I imagine so, though any healing may take longer than necessary. Everything should return to normality when I come back to them."

"That's good to hear."

"Why?"

Kedi blinked. "Because… I wouldn't want to affect this relationship you've had for… How long has it been?"

Nock shrugged. "A few thousand seasons or so. I do not keep track."

"You mean you don't know how old you are?"

"I have no need to know."

They reached Kedi's bedroom door and she pushed it open. Her status in the Brotherhood meant that she had one of the bigger bedrooms, though it was still rather small and longer than it was wide. The large wooden bed took up the right end of the room, with the other end taken up by a large desk with a chair sat in front of it. Shelves were carved into the stone walls and held the few books and trinkets she'd salvaged from her old home, along with a few newer things she'd been given from Veezara. Kedi knelt beside the bed and retrieved a bedroll from underneath it.

"You can have the bed, and I'll take this on the floor." She explained, but the elf made no movement towards the bed. "Is… that okay?"

"I have never slept on a bed." The elf looked almost frightened of the piece of furniture.

"Oh… Well, they're much more comfortable than the ground. Give it a try." Kedi gestured towards it, but when the elf still didn't move, she pulled the fur blankets back and patted the straw piled on the wooden frame. Nock stiffly lowered herself down until she was lying flat, and then Kedi lifted the blankets over her. She was settled, but she didn't look comfortable.

"Are you never concerned about it breaking?"

Kedi smiled. "No, not really. Beds are built to be sturdy, and it isn't very high off the floor."

"Even so… It is very… unsettling."

"If you really don't like it, you can have the floor? I only offered out of politeness." Kedi laughed as the Bosmer leapt off the bed and grabbed the bedroll.

"How did you come to be here?" Nock asked as she began unrolling her bed.

"A member of the Brotherhood?" The elf nodded and Kedi blew out a long breath and sat herself on the bed. "It's a long story. A long, foolish story."

"Nevertheless, I would like to know. I know you were not bred for it, like Veezara. You are different to the others. The feeling is subtle, but it is there."

Her strange eyes were fixed on Kedi's face, but instead of feeling unnerved, she felt ready to lift the weight off her shoulders, finally.

"I lived on a small farm, with my mother, father, my brother and little sister. My brother was just old enough to start chopping wood and hunting with my father, but my sister still had a few years before she'd start helping mother and I with chores. It was a simple life, but we were happy." Kedi smiled and ran her hand over the fur blanket, lost in her thoughts as she remembered the sound of her siblings laughing and the bubble of the nearby creek, and the thudding of her father's axe against the wood block. "But, then a small group of bandits came and… ruined it all. My mother had seen them coming a moment before, so my siblings and I were hidden in the house, under the bed, and in the closet. They killed my parents, and then came in to loot our home. My brother came out of hiding to try and fight them… Stupid male pride. They found my sister under the bed, and took her and my brother. They kicked up enough fuss that they didn't find me."

"They saved you."

"They shouldn't have." Kedi stared at the ground for a moment, trying to shake off the pain that the memories brought her. She knew her siblings were dead, and it was because of her. "My father had said that a woman, more than anyone, should know how to defend herself, so he had taught me and my sister how to fight. His father had been a mage, as well, so he taught us a few things. It might seem foolish now, but I hunted those bandits down. I killed them all, from the shadows. I didn't see my brother or sister."

"Not even their bodies?" Kedi shook her head. "Perhaps they escaped."

"I doubt it. But anyway, it turned out someone had already taken a contract out on one of the bandits. I collapsed and fell unconscious amongst the bodies and blood of the bandits, and when I awoke, Astrid was there. I was only thirteen, but Astrid saw the potential in me, and I needed a family. I joined them, and with each hired kill, I avenged my family. With each hired kill, the rage and loss seeped out of me. Astrid watched, and when I had finally emptied myself, she came to me and held me like a mother would. After that, this _was_ my family."

They were both silent for a moment; Nock absorbing the story, and Kedi revelling as the weight of her past was lifted after keeping it to herself for so long.

"Thank you for telling me. You should not feel guilty; you did the best you could, given the circumstances." And with those words, the elf lay down and went to sleep, covered in her blankets since she was obviously feeling the chill being underground.

Kedi smiled. She knew the Bosmer only said things she meant – white lies and words of comfort seemed alien to her – and it felt good to hear it and know it to be true. She left the blankets on the bed and went to see Veezara before bed.


	13. Chapter 12

When Kedi awoke, the bedroll was vacant. It was only when she happened to glance up that she realised where Nock had gone. Every item had been carefully cleared from the top stone shelf and placed on the one below, since the elf now occupied the small space between the ceiling and the top shelf.

"…Nock?"

She rose in an instant, and, with surprising speed and fluidity, managed to reach the ground without hitting her head or knocking anything over.

"Was the bedroll not comfortable?"

"I wanted to be closer to my trees." Nock stared up at the ceiling with an almost wistful look on her face. Despite being rather emotionally peculiar, she did seem to be getting more expressive as they spent more time together.

"If you would like, we could leave the Sanctuary for a short time today. I'd like to go hunting, now that I've returned home."

"Would you not prefer to go alone with your Argonian?"

Kedi's pearly cheeks reddened slightly. "No, he likes to do his hunting beneath the water." She reached beneath the bed and produced a short wooden bow, one she had made herself, and placed it on the bed. "I prefer a bow."

"Of course." Nock turned her black eyes on Kedi in scrutiny, the golden ring almost invisible in the dimly lit room. "Your family shares my blood."

Kedi frowned. "You mean, we are related?"

"All things are. However, I meant simply that you are not part Altmer, like most Bretons. You are Bosmer. You crave the Wild Hunt as I do, and that is why the trees whisper of you to me."

"Ah, yes, the whispers. Can you tell me anything more about that yet?"

Nock smiled; it was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "No, not yet… But soon. "

* * *

"It's time."

Astrid's eyes sparkled as she made the announcement to the members gathered to break their fast. Festus and Arnbjorn grunted, and Nazir, Babette and Gabriella began muttering next to Kedi, who remained stoic beside Nock and Veezara.

The Matron of the Brotherhood waited until her family, her band of assassins, had fallen quiet and began eating before continuing. "I know it's sudden, and I know it's huge, but if we succeed - when we succeed… It will change Skyrim, even the whole of Tamriel, forever. We'll once again hold the reputation the Brotherhood of old boasted." She cast an eye over the group, meeting everyone's gaze. "We are going to kill the Emperor."

The entire room remained silent, everyone's eyes cast downwards as scepticism battled with fear.

"And how are we going to do that? Did Mother tell you that much?" Kedi asked, trying to keep her attitude from colouring her voice.

"The Emperor is coming to Skyrim to see about ending this rebellion." She waved a hand. "Some fancy cook is coming from High Rock to prepare his meals, and, thankfully, no one in Skyrim knows of his identity – not even the Emperor."

"So… Has the Night Mother revealed his face to you? How do we kill a man whose name and face we do not even know?" Kedi asked.

Astrid's jaw clenched. "No… But Festus and Nazir have more than enough contacts in the region, it shouldn't take long to find him." Nazir shared a wide-eyed look with Festus before they both stuttered a 'yes'.

"We kill the cook and replace him with one of ours?" Festus cackled, trying to smother his nerves. "Oh, Astrid, you never cease to inspire me. We poison his meat? Or put a bomb in his soup?" The old man sat back in his chair, losing himself comfortably in his own wicked ideas.

Kedi smiled. "I think poison would be the best bet, Festus. Sorry to disappoint."

"Babette and I can probably come up with something tasteless; something that'll kill him before he feels anything. With Nock's help, we could probably make something invisible, as well." The Dunmer, Gabriella, glanced between the immortal child and the strange, silent Bosmer.

"Oh, yes! I love making poisons!" Babette clapped her hands together. "I'll check my book while you do the gathering, if you don't mind… Since the sun is still up…" Nock simply nodded in response, offering her help and her vast knowledge of the forest and her plants.

Astrid brought her hands down on the table and grinned. "Excellent. Kedi, take your elf with Gabriella and find some ingredients to make our… gift for the Emperor. Festus and Nazir, get in touch with your men to find out who this damn chef is and where we can find him _before_ he reaches Solitude. Veezara and Arnbjorn, you're coming with me."

"Where are we going?"

"There's a man I need to meet, Veezara. I need you both there in case it's a trap, and if we can afford extra members for a meeting, it makes us look bigger than we are. Never forget the importance of illusion." She shot the Argonian a warning look before dismissing everyone and stalking out of the room.

Before the room was emptied, Veezara approached Kedi, while Babette and Gabriella discussed ingredients with Nock nearby.

"Do you think this seems a little…"

"Weird? Yes." Kedi nodded, her brow wrinkling anxiously. "Who do you think she's meeting with?"

"No idea, but I suppose I'll find out."

"If she's lying about the contract coming from the Night Mother… Do you think she's meeting someone for payment? I mean, what if someone asked her to have us kill the emperor in return for a small fortune in gold? It could be a trap, to end the Brotherhood, or… Who knows, maybe she would willingly sacrifice us for riches."

Veezara placed a rough palm on Kedi's cheek and shushed her. "We don't know that she's lying, and you mustn't say things like that where people can overhear."

"I know, just… Be careful, when you go with them to the meeting." Kedi placed her small hand over his and locked gazes with him for a moment before Veezara gave a small nod. He touched his forehead to hers, and left to find Arnbjorn.

Kedi turned to her small group and they fell silent. "Right," she smiled weakly, "let's get started on our poison!" Babette headed towards her alchemy lab and Gabriella continued bouncing ideas off an ever-quiet Nock as they left the Haven with Kedi as she secured her blindfold.

* * *

Lucien Lachance emerged from the dark depths of the void, his body wracked with pain as he took his first breath for two hundred years. He had served the Father in life and death, only to find his servitude lying within life's realm once more. He would live as long as Sithis desired him to, and his work had just begun.


	14. Chapter 13

The sun was at the highest point in the sky by the time the trio returned, their arms laden with various flowers, herbs and mushrooms they had found in the wilderness surrounding the Haven.

Nock had been very helpful, pointing out various things that Kedi and Gabriella would never have spotted otherwise, and it was obvious she had enjoyed wandering once more amongst her flora. She was also incredibly knowledgeable about every ingredient, knowing exactly which properties they possessed.

Kedi removed her blindfold after they returned to the dimly light Sanctuary, and they proceeded down into the main hall, where they stopped, frozen with surprise.

The members they had left behind now formed a crowd round the small body of water that sat beneath the stained glass illustration of Sithis.

"What's going on?" She asked, marching towards the crowd. There was no response, so she pushed her way through and found herself staring at a wet, naked man, shivering on the floor under a thin woollen blanket. "What the… Who is this?"

Astrid crossed her arms as she glared at the man's prone form. "This man emerged from the water and collapsed here, not long before you returned. All we've been able to get out of him was that Sithis sent him here for you." She shot Kedi a strange look before kneeling to study the wet man's face. "He looks familiar though." She stood and turned to Kedi, waving a hand at the man. "You try talking to him."

"I'll get another blanket; he looks like he's freezing." Gabriella said, while Kedi knelt in front of him. Veezara watched the exchange carefully.

"Who are you?" She asked softly.

"I… am… Lucien." He answered, through chattering teeth. He seemed to be having trouble breathing, as though he was unsure how to do it. He had golden olive skin, lighter than Nock's, and his ebon hair hung lankly past his shoulders, now dripping lightly onto the floor. His deep brown eyes avoided her yellow gaze, and light stubble dusted his square jaw. His nose was handsome and straight. He looked to be from Cyrodiil, and his name confirmed it. "My name is…. Lucien Lachance."

A collective gasp arose from the group, and Kedi frowned. "Lucien Lachance died two hundred years ago, in Cyrodiil, betrayed by the members of his own Brotherhood."

"They thought I was a traitor. They were wrong."

Kedi frowned. "We know."

Gabriella appeared and draped a thicker blanket around him, and his shivers gradually lessened and his breathing improved.

"Why did Sithis return you?"

His eyes flicked up to meet hers and Kedi felt a jolt go through her as she fell into his impossibly dark gaze. "To serve you with the coming struggle."

Astrid laughed. "Excellent! The Dread Father has sent us the most skilled and famed assassin of our order to help us with the Emperor's death!"

Kedi frowned and looked up at Nock, but the elf's face was as impassive as always. Something felt… off. The new contract was already suspicious, but something, a memory, lingered at the back of Kedi's mind.

_"…of a spirit yet to join you…" _Nock's words from their first meeting, the trees' whispers, echoed in her mind.

"Is this…?" She started, but Nock nodded before she could finish, as though she saw the questions burning in her golden eyes. Kedi turned back to Lucien and ran a finger along the scars that marred her cheek. "We need some clothes for him; can someone fetch some? And since he isn't talking to anyone else, I'll take him to my room. He looks like he could use some rest."

Gabriella left, again, to fetch some clothing, and Kedi, with a grim expression on her face, hooked an arm round Lucien and lifted him. He was slender, like Veezara, but more toned. You could see his muscles rippling under his golden skin as he struggled to remain upright while they made their way through the crowd to Kedi's room. Nock and Veezara followed them, but Astrid ordered the rest to their previous duties.

* * *

Veezara helped Kedi get Lucien onto the bed, and once he was completely covered and wrapped within all the blankets, she asked Veezara to keep watch over him while she spoke with Nock. The Argonian, as always, complied with her wishes, and she left him with a tender kiss on the nose.

She led Nock outside the room and stopped her there. "So, Lucien is important?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He is vital to your journey."

"What journey?"

"The journey of death, betrayal, love, and rebirth. You have the new soul, but there is still a duty left to be fulfilled." Nock repeated, as Kedi paced backwards and forwards in front of her.

"The duty? The Emperor's assassination?"

Nock shook her head, her face expressionless. "I cannot say."

Kedi groaned with frustration. "Is there anything new you _can _tell me, now that the new soul is here?"

"Yes."

The redheaded Breton waited, but Nock remained silent. She sighed. "Who will be betrayed?"

"You."

Kedi froze. "By… By who?"

"I cannot say."

She studied the Bosmer's face, but the elf gave no hints. Her black and gold eyes stared back at her, as depthless and disturbing as the first time they met. Kedi ran a hand over her face and leaned against the wall opposite, sliding down until she was seated on the floor. They were silent for a long moment, and Kedi assumed Nock would remain silent, until she eventually spoke again.

"There will come a time when you will have to choose between two loves. It will be… difficult." Kedi looked up and saw a hint of sadness on the Bosmer's face. She frowned and stood back up.

"I only love Veezara. There is no one else."

"There will be." She seemed to hesitate, before some strong emotion flitted across her face and she took the Breton's white hand in hers, the colour contrasting with her dark skin. Strands of snow white hair escaped the leather tie and hung over her face. She looked younger, almost; more vulnerable. "There will be a time when things seem too difficult to continue. You have an important duty, and it will be painful… But I will remain here, and your struggles will not go unnoticed. Even when the darkness around you seems blackest, remember that there will be happiness at the end of your struggles, and a gift you never knew you wanted." The elf dropped Kedi's hand as suddenly as she'd taken it, the blank expression once more in place.

Stunned, Kedi only nodded, before returning to her room.


	15. Chapter 14

Lucien slept for hours, but Kedi, Nock and Veezara largely remained, leaving only to find food and tend to their other needs. Gabriella had quickly brought some Brotherhood robes, similar to what the old wizard Festus wore, and left them at the end of the bed. Astrid entered the room late into the evening, with Arnbjorn, to retrieve Veezara as it was time to meet with the contact. The Argonian lifted his lover's hand to his mouth and kissed her goodbye, leaving her alone with Nock once more. As always, Nock was silent, and Kedi worried that it was starting to rub off on her.

"I wonder what it must be like." She muttered. Nock turned her head to look at her quizzically and Kedi gestured to Lucien's sleeping form. "To be dead for _two hundred years_, and then be brought back to life."

"I imagine it is difficult to adjust. He did seem to have difficulty breathing, at first."

"Yeah, I noticed that. I guess you get used to not breathing in the afterlife." She glanced at Nock. "There _is_ an afterlife, right? Where we serve Sithis?"

Nock nodded, her face serious. "Of course."

Kedi smiled. "Oh, I knew that, I… I just wanted to make sure." She rubbed her scars, subconsciously. "Have you ever died? I mean, I know you can't, but have the trees ever had to… revive you?"

Nock shifted in her seat, almost uncomfortably, before nodded slowly. "Once. I have lived for a long time, and I can almost always fend off an attack by myself. If I cannot, my beasts assist me. This time, though…" Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I was still relatively young, I believe, and did not understand how it… worked. I left the safety of the forest and entered an area comprised of volcanic rock and small geysers. There was no greenery, no beasts, but there was a bandit hideout. They attacked, and I fled back into the forest with several arrows piercing my skin. Not knowing the land like I already did, they eventually became lost, and I took the time to pull the arrows out. An ordinary person would have been unable to run, and even an exceptional person would have bled to death. The trees sustained me and I learned my lesson."

Kedi smiled again, despite the sombre topic. She enjoyed it when Nock spoke freely, instead of remaining quiet. "You said you were young… Where was your family?"

"I do not recall ever having one."

"How were you born?"

"I do not know. Living in the forest is all I remember. I have lived for thousands of years, and in my earliest memory, I physically appear only a few years younger than I do now."

"Hmm… Perhaps you were made from the land itself!" Kedi gave a short, quiet laugh.

"Perhaps." Nock replied, her face still serious enough to make Kedi wonder; but before she could question her further, Lucien sprang out of bed and into a fighting position, causing the robes to go tumbling onto the floor. The Imperial assassin shook his head almost violently, clearly disorientated.

"Where am I?!" He shouted, fear shining in his deep brown eyes.

Kedi slowly rose to her feet and held her hands out in front of her, trying to ignore the fact that he was still unclothed. "It's alright, you're in our Sanctuary. Do you remember getting here? "

He continued to stare at her, like he didn't understand the language she spoke. "I… I… Oh…" Lucien ran a hand over his face and nearly collapsed to the stone floor. Kedi rushed forward to catch him, and Nock helped her get him back on the bed.

Kedi shook him and he groaned; his golden face was now ashen. "You came from the water, do you remember? You said Sithis sent you here for me?"

His eyes widened and fixed themselves intently on her face. "Yes. Yes, Sithis. You… You are the Listener. Where is the Night Mother?"

Kedi frowned. "Her body is just down the hall, with her Keeper."

"Keeper?" Lucien blinked and finally some clarity appeared in his eyes. The colour returned to his face and he began to relax. "I… My apologies. Coming back from the dead after… It's quite disorientating." His voice was still shaky, but it was deep and pleasant, and quite gravelly. He sat up and ran a hand over his face again, before glancing down at his own naked body. "I fear I will never forget the feeling of the flesh being stripped from my bones by people I once called friend." He sighed heavily. "Is there something for me to wear?"

Kedi hid a smile as she handed him the spare robes, but he seemed unembarrassed as he accepted the robes and dressed. The women turned their backs to him nonetheless, so preserve his decency as much as possible.

"So… You really are Lucien Lachance?" Kedi asked quietly, still facing towards the wall.

"Yes. Sithis released me from service in his domain, so that I might serve him in life once more." He seemed to move silently, for the next moment Kedi heard his voice rumble at her ear. "So that I might serve you."

She raised an eyebrow and looked to Nock for confirmation. Lucien was a legend in their order's history, and this man unsettled her; she needed to know if she could trust him. To her relief, the elf nodded.

"See? The elf knows I am who I say." His breath tickled her cheek and she stepped away from him and turned. The robes were layered, with a shirt underneath a long open coat, and a pair of slim trousers underneath that fit his muscled legs like leggings. Each piece of clothing was made from thin black wool. Without a doubt, he wore the outfit better than the old wizard, Festus, did.

"Why? Why am I important to Sithis? Why bring a man who's been dead for two hundred years back to life just to help me?"

He smiled knowingly and Kedi noticed the corners of Nock's mouth turn upwards as well. They shared a look for the tiniest moment, a strange glint in Lucien's dark eyes. "Because… You _are_ going after the Emperor. Or do you not think that's a big contract? Do you imagine it will be easy?" He grinned.

Kedi frowned and turned to Nock. "You're both in on… whatever this is, aren't you?"

The elf's large, strange eyes glanced away for a moment. "I am sure we do not know what you mean, Kedi." But the tiny smile remained hovering on her lips.

The Breton eyed both of them warily, before gesturing towards the door. "I guess you'll need something to eat, now that you're alive again."

Lucien nodded. "That would be much appreciated, Kedi."


	16. Chapter 15

The trio reached the dining hall without seeing anyone. The cavern itself was void of life, due to the rest of the Brotherhood having already gone to bed.

They seated themselves at the table and Lucien began eating. Kedi tapped her fingers against the wooden table as she wondered how long Astrid had been away with Veezara. After all these years, she'd never gotten used to keeping track of time beneath the ground, but it had been long enough to make her worry.

But it was as though her thoughts had summoned them, for Astrid strolled into the room in the next moment, with Veezara and Arnbjorn in tow. They looked unharmed, and Astrid's face boasted a wide grin. Deservedly so, for she produced a large coin purse and a thick gold amulet from her satchel, declaring the contract genuine and the reward to be over 20,000 sovereigns.

Then the sight of Lucien pierced the joy of success that fogged Astrid's mind, as he sat silently eating just as expected, having been dead for two centuries. She turned her suddenly serious gaze on Kedi, and asked if he'd talked yet.

Kedi nodded. "He is Lucien Lachance, brought back to life by Sithis in order to serve m-… us. The Dread Father seems to think we'll need some help with our contract. That's all."

Astrid studied the silent, dark man. "He does look familiar, but how do you know he is who he says? Have you checked the library for a portrait or description?"

"No, but…" Kedi stammered, before looking to Nock for answers. Thankfully, the elf spoke up.

"I can sense that his claims are true, and the darkness of the Dread Father's domain still clings to him." Her face was impassive as she spoke in the monotonous voice she used when talking about her strange powers.

Astrid glanced at the elf as she explained, and turned back to Kedi. "We can trust her?" Kedi nodded, determination shining in her yellow eyes. "Then I'll trust you, but it's still on you if this goes wrong."

"I know. Lucien needs somewhere to sleep, and with my extra space already taken up by Nock, I don't know where to put him…"

"I thought this would come up. See if anyone has any extra bedrolls, and he can sleep by the reading nook in the library. Stack them to make it more comfortable." She waved towards the stairs that led up to Kedi's favourite area. "It won't be private, but I'm sure the man just feels grateful that he's alive." The Matron stalked out of the room, with Arnbjorn following her like a guard dog. Veezara joined the trio and began picking at the food on the table, giving Kedi a smile.

"When is Astrid planning to leave?"

"We already did." His smile broadened as Kedi's eyes widened.

"The man is nearby, then?"

"Momentarily. We met him within a small cave system. He wore fancy clothes and had a bodyguard, so I suppose he was a noble of some sort, perhaps from Cyrodiil. They exchanged a few, quiet words that I could not catch, along with a golden amulet that Astrid immediately fastened around her neck. I didn't get a good look at it, and it hasn't appeared from beneath her shirt since. There was a peculiar look on her face as we left the caves though, and I swear I felt that dog's stare on me the whole journey back. It's a feeling I haven't felt since they last time someone tried to mug me."

"Strange." Kedi touched a hand to her scars as she stared at the table, getting lost in her own thoughts. Nock sat motionless as Veezara solemnly picked at the food that Lucien wasn't still wolfing down. After a moment of silence, Kedi blinked and glanced at Lucien. "I wonder if Babette and Gabriella have gotten anywhere with that poison."

Nock cocked her head to the side. "Most likely. Babette's centuries of experience have made her quite competent, and Gabriella seems very… helpful. Her Dunmer blood also gives her the advantage of time." She turned to Kedi, her depthless eyes almost quizzical. "How many years _does_ she have?"

Kedi shrugged. "I'm not sure; we've never really talked about it. Why?"

"I'm curious. I remember they used to live for almost as long as the Altmer. I'm curious how the change affected their lifespan." She eyed Kedi for a moment longer. "You're a Breton. How old are you?"

Kedi raised her eyebrows and looked away, while Veezara grinned. "You know, I've never managed to get that out of you, Kedi…"

She cleared her throat. "Yes, well. I believe Dunmer in general live to be around 300 years, instead of the millennium Altmer are blessed with. And I don't see how it matters, but… I have 43 years."

"And yet, you look to have only about twenty years. Interesting." She glanced at Veezara. "And you?"

"50 years. Argonians can live for much longer if they remain in their homeland, but elsewhere…" He hesitated and glanced at Kedi. "I most definitely won't live past 100 years. I left Black Marsh quite young."

"Interesting. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing your knowledge; I've been out of touch for such a long time." The Bosmer nodded to each of the three before standing. "I shall go see how the poison is progressing, if you wish, Kedi."

Kedi raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Thank you, Nock."

The elf stalked from the room silently, and it was only a moment later that Kedi was glancing between Veezara and Lucien nervously, though neither of them paid her much heed. Eventually she stood and moved to examine one of the banners hanging on the wall; crimson with the Brotherhood's white symbol of an eye in the centre. She ran the material through her fingers a few times before turning back and beckoning to Veezara. He was at her side in seconds.

"What's wrong?" He rasped.

Kedi hesitated before looking into his bright green eyes. "Do you ever… think about leaving the Brotherhood?"

Veezara's dark green lips turned down in an awkward reptilian frown. "Leaving? No, can't say I really do. Why?"

The crimson-haired Breton shrugged a shoulder. "Sometimes, I think… I might like to leave. Go somewhere quiet and live a calmer life. Simpler, you know?"

"I understand the reasoning behind it, but… I've never desired it, myself."

"Really? If you only have-"

"What? 40, maybe 50 years? That isn't so short a time, Kedi. I'm not an old man." He smiled at her fondly.

"I know…" She sighed. "I just don't cherish the thought of living another half century without you."

"You don't have to. I'll make damn sure Sithis lets me look out for you. You'll feel me as though I'm still fighting at your back, I guarantee it. I'll do my best to stay with you, regardless."

Veezara wrapped his arms around his lover and pulled her to him as she smiled up at him. Even when everything seemed so bleak, he always managed to make her smile. From within his embrace, Kedi glanced at the table and saw Lucien watching them with a curious look on his face. Her face flushed, surprisingly, and she felt herself pulling back.

That's when she heard the whispering.

**"****_It seems the children have been misbehaving."_**

Her eyebrows knitted together as she frowned.

**_"You must listen to your Mother. Come, child." _**The voice was louder now, and felt sickly sweet. Its laughter echoed around her skull like a child's voice, but it held a wicked edge to it.

"Do you hear that?" She asked Veezara.

"Hear what?"

**_"We will fix this mess."_**

"That voice… You don't hear that?"

Lucien sprang to his feet and was at her side in moments. "What do you hear, Kedi?"

"I… I know Astrid is lying. She must be."

Veezara's frown deepened, but the corners of Lucien's mouth curled up with a grin.

"How do you know?" Veezara asked, his scaled brows drawn together.

"I just heard the Night Mother's voice."


	17. Chapter 16

"Mother speaks! Yes, Mother speaks! Ooh, she spoke to you! I wish she'd spoken to me…"

Cicero danced from one foot to the other, slapping his hands together as his voice relentlessly increased in pitch. He'd charged into the dining room, loudly spouting the same wild declarations as Lucien until everyone had forgone rest and work to see why he was making such a fuss. Once more, everyone was standing around the dining room, the majority of them looking a lot like they didn't want to be.

"Quiet, Cicero!" Astrid rubbed her temples with her fingers. "So… _You're _the Listener?"

Kedi gave a small nod. "Apparently so…"

Astrid folded her arms and eyed Kedi warily. "And how are we supposed to know this for sure?"

The Breton frowned. Astrid had been like a mother to her, but now she questioned everything Kedi did. It seemed her paranoia was getting out of hand.

She held her hands out, almost in defeat. "How can I prove it to you? I heard a whispering in my head." Kedi shrugged. "It grew louder, demanding I listen to my mother and embrace her... You know my own mother is dead." Her tone had more than a hint of accusation with that last sentence.

Astrid's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps then, it is a message from Sithis regarding your parents. We need proof."

"Cicero, how do you know the Night Mother spoke?" Babette asked; her sweet childish voice a drastic change from the bitterness that now leaked from Astrid and Kedi.

"Ooooh! Mother glowed, she did! She did! Perhaps I can… show you?"

Babette looked to Astrid, who nodded. "I suppose that would have to suffice. Can the Night Mother speak to the Listener anywhere?"

"Ooh, no! No, no, no! The Listener must listen! A Listener cannot listen if a Listener cannot hear! The Listener must be near!"

Astrid sighed and rubbed her head again. "So it must be someone within the Brotherhood, and if no one else heard anything…" She glanced at Kedi. "… We shall test it, to be sure. But that can be taken care of later; we still have an Emperor to kill. Have you gotten anywhere with that poison?"

Gabriella nodded. "Nock helped us retrieve some rarer ingredients and instructed us on their uses. Babette found some recipes that will be helpful in putting yesterday's bounty into use. We should have something perfected by tomorrow; tasteless, invisible, but very deadly."

"Good. Nazir? Festus? Any luck on finding this cook?"

"It seems he's been hiding out at the Nightgate inn for many months now." Nazir's deep baritone bounced off the walls, making Festus' old voice seem even frailer in comparison.

"He appears to be an orc, of all things." The old wizard cackled. "An orc cooking for the Emperor! It's ludicrous."

Astrid frowned at Festus. "You're sure your contacts can be trusted?"

"Oh, yes, yes, most definitely. It may be hard to believe, but most things are, these days, wouldn't you say?" Festus grinned. Kedi swore he was getting madder by the day. Perhaps he was spending too much time with the jester… All the same, she remained silent; she no longer seemed to hold Astrid's trust.

"Where is this inn?" Astrid asked.

"I believe it's located within the Pale hold, near Dawnstar. It's an old building, passed down through generations, situated on the precipice of a fairly deep lake." Babette explained. "I stayed there once, a few decades ago. I _may_ have been responsible for the inn being passed down… earlier than expected." She grinned, her teeth gleaming in the orange light of the torches burning on the walls.

"Then you should remain here." Astrid folded her arms as she began to think. "The Pale… The weather will be bad, which makes that lake a death trap. It does, however, provide us with an excellent place to hide the cook's body." She turned to Kedi once more. "You'll go. Take this… Lucien with you, just in case, and return here to report once the orc is dead. Remember, you must take his possessions, but remain unseen above all."

Kedi bowed her head. "Understood." The Breton met Nock's alien gaze. "You should remain here, and assist Babette and Gabriella with the poison."

The Bosmer frowned, but nodded after a moment of contemplation. However, when Kedi left the room to prepare, Lucien wasn't the only one following her.


	18. Chapter 17

"Kedi." Nock's foreign voice was like a hammer striking metal in the silence of the Sanctuary's underground tunnels. Kedi halted her progress and ran a hand over her face with a sigh.

"Lucien, continue on to my room and begin packing our supplies. Please."

The stranger stared down at her curiously with dark eyes for many heartbeats before he nodded and started walking.

"What is it, Nock?"

"I am reluctant to let you travel alone."

"I won't be alone, I'll have Lucien."

The elf's frown deepened. "The spirits told me to protect you, to accompany you wherever you must go. I do not wish to remain behind while you journey into danger with a man you do not know."

Kedi drew her eyebrows together and ran a hand through her red hair. "You were the one who told me I could trust him."

Nock nodded. "I trust his intentions. I do not trust his skill. I can protect you better than he can."

The Breton emptied her lungs in a massive sigh. "Why am I so bloody important? Why does everyone seem so desperate to _protect_ me?! I have been doing this for years. This cook may be an orc, but he's a _cook_. I can do this alone."

"Don't even try to get rid of me."

Kedi nearly jumped out of her skin when Lucien emerged from the darkness beside her, but she quickly composed herself and scowled at him.

"Why did Sithis send you to help me?"

He shot her a lopsided grin. "I'm beginning to suspect you _do_ believe murdering the Emperor will be an easy task. Tell me, have the Imperials put a babbling moron on the throne? Or perhaps a child, a wailing babe in sodden undergarments?"

"Don't give me that. If you're here to help us with the Emperor, why do you have to accompany me to kill the cook? Why do _you_ have to protect me?"

Lucien shrugged, his handsome face growing serious. "Sithis' will is clear, but I know not his reasoning. You are important, that's all I know." Kedi sighed heavily and slumped against the wall of the tunnel. "I'm sorry that I cannot tell you more. However," he gestured towards Kedi's room, "our bags are packed and I am ready to depart when you are."

Kedi straightened and murmured a thank you, before telling a frustrated Nock to go find Gabriella and heading into her room.

The Breton was rewarded with another scare when she discovered Veezara in her room. How he had made it there, she had no idea. She ignored him and slumped into the chair in front of the desk, thoroughly exhausted.

"Kedi…"

"Don't, Veezara. Please. There's been too much to deal with and I've hardly slept. I don't want to argue with you, too. Besides, Astrid would never let you come with me, especially not now."

He chuckled softly and came up behind her, touching her auburn hair with the tips of his fingers. "I'm not here to argue, Kedi." His raspy voice deepened. "I was just thinking… I've missed you. And you're right; you've had a lot to deal with. This Listener business… I feel as though a huge change has been set in motion, and who knows what the future may hold for us now." He hooked a finger beneath her chin and turned her head, tilting it upwards till her yellow eyes met his. "We haven't really had a chance to be alone, in a while."

Kedi's face warmed as she smiled. She stood and stepped into his embrace, feeling his heart thud against her chest as their bodies molded against each other. Moments later, as their heartbeats synched, the world melted away and their troubles were forgotten while warm pearly skin moved over cool green scales.

Just outside the closed door, Lucien slumped against the wall, his heart inexplicably heavy as he listened to the sounds coming from within the room. Though it pained him, he still remained there long after they had fallen silent, sleeping in each other's arms. It didn't matter that she didn't want him like he wanted her. It didn't matter that she already loved another. Lucien would protect her with his life.


End file.
